Valentine's Troubadours Serenade Rim Country Lovers

If a dozen red roses or a box of candy or a romantic candlelight dinner just don't have the pop they once did, this may be just the Valentine's Day gift you're looking for.

For just $35, you can have the man or woman in your life serenaded by a genuine barbershop quartet or Sweet Adelines quartet.

Jim Keyworth/Roundup

The Beeliners barbershop quartet practices for Valentine's Day with
Payson resident Nieca Irwin. The foursome, Bill Kane, Ron Lodge,
Don Holcombe and Stu Willcox (left to right), will be available all
day Saturday to serenade the special person in your life.

Back after a year's absence to sing to the ladies of the Rim country is the semi-local barbershop quartet, the Beeliners. The group consists of locals Don Holcombe (bass) and Ron Lodge (lead), and two Valley residents -- Bill Kane (tenor) and Stu Willcox (baritone).

They'll be joined for the first time ever by Undecided Now, a Sweet Adelines quartet from the Valley who will serenade the men. For your $35, either group will come to your home, place of business or even a local restaurant, serenade your honey with two love songs, and present a single red rose.

The groups will begin by performing live on KMOG Saturday morning, then they'll travel the Rim country from 9 a.m. until as late as their services are required.

"We'll go anywhere -- homes, businesses, restaurants, gas stations," Holcombe said. "When we last did this two years ago, we sang at Wal-Mart, and we finished the day at Fargo's at 10 p.m."

Outlying communities like Christopher Creek, Pine, Strawberry and Tonto Village require a group of three to serenade or an extra charge for the drive. "We're asking people in those places to come into town to a restaurant or somewhere and we'll meet them," Holcombe said.

While the Beeliners have a repertoire of more than 20 songs, they have chosen "Heart of My Heart" and "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" for this year's Valentine's Day selections.

The Beeliners have been together for three years, and they take their music very seriously.

"When you get the four parts together and you create barbershop the way it's supposed to be, the four notes create a note that's entirely new," Holcombe said.

Although barbershop harmony has been around since the late '30s, don't even suggest that it's old-fashioned or obsolete.

"There is more a cappella singing going on in colleges today than ever before," Holcombe said.

And while their goal Feb. 14 is to create the perfect Valentine for your loved one, they get more than a little out of it themselves.

"When you get it right and those overtones appear, it's a real rush," Holcombe said.